


we will bathe ourselves in the ocean waves

by privateerwrites



Series: nager (to swim) [1]
Category: The Musketeers (2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Gen, athos is pining but that's okay we still love him, i promise I write more than fluff just not much, swimming au!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:27:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29547909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/privateerwrites/pseuds/privateerwrites
Summary: Athos and Porthos cheer on Aramis as he swims a race! Ft. pining Athos, enthusiastic Porthos, and some fluff[same verse as everything in this series, set long before the other works]
Relationships: Aramis | René d'Herblay & Athos | Comte de la Fère & Porthos du Vallon
Series: nager (to swim) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2124960
Comments: 6
Kudos: 10





	we will bathe ourselves in the ocean waves

**Author's Note:**

> Yes I'm writing more side fics before the main fic :D. Plots are hard :D 
> 
> Also- I did try to keep this jargon-free, but if there's something I've said that doesn't make sense, please let me know so I can clarify and add a definition somewhere!

The whistle blows, and for a moment, the crowd falls silent. The speaker crackles, as if it’s unsure as to whether or not it wants to work, and then Mr. Starter's voice rings out across the deck, the buzzer sounds, the light flashes, and it's loud again, a cacophony that seems impossibly huge for having only restarted just a second ago.  
  
Athos lets the noise wash over him, a heavy blanket of sounds that envelops his body soothingly, erasing all thought for a precious moment. Porthos is kneeling on the deck next to him, sitting back on his heels on a kickboard, his hand clenched tightly around the handle of the counter.

Athos watches Porthos watch Aramis advance towards them in the water, checking the flags and then the pool carefully, judging the distance and timing so that he can get this just right, just the way Aramis likes it.  
  
**1**  
  
When Aramis moves below the flags, Porthos sticks his arm in the water. _This is a steep deck_ , Athos observes absently. The board stays still until right before Aramis moves into his turn, a well-practiced maneuver that Porthos is incredible at. He pulls it out of the water, and Athos is entranced by Porthos for a moment, his grace and beauty and power.  
  
Athos pulls his deck coat closer around himself, enjoying the softness of the fluff on his skin. He zips it up- he'd forgotten how splashy Aramis' turns are, and now his legs are wet. Porthos is yelling, and Athos watches as Aramis flips at the other end and Porthos turns the board.  
  
**3**  
  
Athos waves his arms over Porthos' head as Aramis flips around. He thinks he sees a smile on Aramis' face, though he could also just be imagining it. He probably isn't, knowing Aramis, and it puts a smile on his face. He bends down to yell at Porthos that he's heading to the side, keeping his eyes on Aramis the whole time, watching him cut through the water with a grace that seems unnatural. Porthos grins wildly, and Athos remembers suddenly that he loves this just as much as Aramis does.  
  
He moves over to the side quickly, winding behind the other people who are also counting and cheering and making it to the athlete side of the pool, across from Treville. Aramis isn't kicking, he never kicks, and so Athos starts motioning to him to do so. He picks it up, thank goodness, and Athos returns to his place at Porthos' side.  
  
The turn at the end is... less good than Aramis would like, Athos can tell, because he sort of slips to the side off of the touchpad, and Porthos grimaces. He still flips the counter calmly, though, and they watch Aramis approach them again.  
  
**5** **  
**  
The race is starting to speed up a little, and the arrow is forming slowly, Aramis at the head. He turns again, and doesn't slip this time. Porthos starts to slowly move the board up and down when Aramis gets to the wall.  
  
**7**  
  
The counter moves a little faster this time, Porthos' muscles working as he leans over the edge and puts his weight onto the kickboard. Athos doesn't envy the marks Porthos will have left over from the kickboard later, when the race is over, the little pattern of triangles and crosses embedded into his skin temporarily.  
  
**9** **  
**  
Athos shouts for Aramis to move his arms, because if Aramis is good at anything, it's pulling. His kicking needs... work, but that isn't something that can be fixed right now, and so yelling at Aramis to use his deceptively strong arms is instead what he opts for. This time, Porthos shakes the board side to side a little- Aramis has been trying not to go out too fast, but the split on the last fifty was much too fast for almost halfway, and so Porthos wants Aramis to slow a little.  
  
Athos watches him come out of the turn, and it's like magic, because he manages to slow just a little, just enough that he won't exhaust himself, but not so much that he'll lose the lead he's built up. Athos smiles.  
  
**11** **  
**  
The middle of the race has passed, and Aramis has actually lapped someone. Athos whoops quietly. Porthos whoops much more loudly, and cheers more ferociously. He's settling more heavily onto the kickboard now, and Athos can see a little grimace on his face as he readjusts.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah, jus'-" he peels his knees up, puts them back down. "Jus' used to somethin' a little softer, tha's all."  
  
**13**  
  
Athos looks down at the split on his watch and frowns. He bends down next to Porthos.  
  
"Get him to move faster. His split is slowing. I'm sure you saw, but-"  
  
"Mhm." Porthos nods.  
  
This time, when Aramis approaches the wall for his turn, Porthos shakes the board, hard, and Athos can see the immediate impact. Aramis starts kicking harder, his stroke rate increases, and he's pulling harder. None of this decreases the grace with which he swims, which always astounds Athos, but he speeds up nonetheless, and flips hard into his turn, kicking quickly off the wall.

  
**15**  
  
Porthos grins when the split on the board is back down to where he wants it. He turns the counter triumphantly, letting it slap against itself. Aramis is really pushing it now, turning into the last stretch of the race, and Athos can feel the determination he's exuding from the water even on deck.  
  
Porthos dips the counter in more vigorously, fiercely pulling it up and down. Athos is mesmerized by his biceps, watching them push the board in and out of the water. Porthos yanks it out violently at the last possible second before Aramis hits the wall to push off, and Athos is once again amazed by the synchronicity of their movements.  
  
Aramis is taking off now, as he only has 100 yards left, and enough energy to slam through them hard.

 _He's beautiful,_ Athos thinks, and then shakes his head to clear the thought.  
  
**17**  
  
Porthos is leaning so far over the edge to encourage Aramis that Athos is a little worried he might fall in. Only a little worried though, because he's seen Porthos do this a hundred times and he has yet to actually fall in. He roars at Aramis off the turn, and Athos waves his arms frantically, moving to the athlete side to sign to Aramis to keep kicking, keep moving, keep going.  
  
The cowbell rings loud in Athos' ear when Aramis does his last turn, and he grins. _Almost there._  
  
**Red**  
  
Athos and Porthos are both yelling and cheering now, though Porthos is significantly louder. Porthos is pushing the counter up and down so quickly that Athos is glad that the counter is Porthos'- any other one might break, at this point. When Aramis pulls out that last turn, Porthos sets his counter to the side, cups his hands around his mouth, and shouts.  
  
"MOVE, ARAMIS!!"  
  
It's like Aramis hears him- though Athos knows from experience that he cannot- because he moves even faster, now heading at a flat-out sprint pace that, judging from this end, it looks like he wouldn't be able to maintain for more than about a 50.  
  
Athos sees the board, watches out of the corner of his eye as Aramis slams his hand into the wall, and catches the time as it appears in red, frozen for all to see.  
  
Porthos is collecting himself off of the floor, standing and grabbing the loaned kickboard and his own counter, and he hoots when he sees the time. He glances over at Athos, smiles, and before Athos knows what's happening, he's wrapped up in a huge, warm, celebratory hug from Porthos. After a moment, he hugs back, and then they separate halfway and stare up at the board, arms still around each other’s waists.  
  
Down the pool, Aramis peels his cap off of his head. He looks up at the board and pumps his fist in delight.  
  
Later, when the meet is over and the three of them have showered off, keeping each other company with their voices, Porthos wraps them both in a massive hug, murmurs words of congratulations in their ears. He carefully plops his sweater over Aramis' head and his flannel around Athos' shoulders, and swings his deck coat around his own body, and they bask in the comfort of having each other there.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos appreciated greatly!! If tumblr is more your thing, I'm over there at privateerstudies!!


End file.
